Knitted article or garment



y 1932- T. H. JONES ET AL 1,865,713

KNITTED ARTICLE OR GARMENT Filed May 14, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 fnveni'ma/ 75H Jones amiIZJiMzlZls iv u wulvw 4 v 010 m $W mn HIW 4 U, U/. N 2 WA AWA MM W g PVC Y N m Q X y E NW y 12, 1932- T. H. JONES ET AL 1,855,713

KNITTED ARTICLE OR GARMENT Filed May 14, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors y 1932- T. H. JONES ET AL 1,866,713

KNITTED ARTICLE 0R GARMENT Filed May 14. 1951 5 She ets-Sheet s .Hfi; 9 10 [/1 van fans 34 Tilda/ms (M /1:11; mus,

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.fl rneys July 12, 1932. T. H. JONES ET AL KNiTTED ARTICLE 0R GARMENT Filed May 14. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 17; 0e ntors 2. 11 Jones a" 4 y 1932- T. H. JONES ET AL 1,866,713

KNITTED ARTICLE OR GARMENT Filed May 14. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor's Z711 Jones a fi.EMI;LL$, v

.11 orvzey-s Patented July 12,1932

UNITED STATES PATENT oF -ucr.

'rnons my JONES, or woom'nonrn, AND ROBERT xmxnmn mine, or am woon, momma xiu'rrnn ARTICLE on (mm Application filed Kay 14, 1881, Sbrial No. 537,460, and in Great Britain IayS, 1980.

. which is shaped or fashioned and is immune or practically immune from laddering.

To this end the present invention resides broadly in the provision as a new article of manufacture-of a shaped or fashioned knitted weft fabric composed wholly or in the main of ladder-proof or ladder-resisting fabric which embodies locked or tied stitches. composed of and produced from the common ground or weft thread of the fabric.

By the term knit-ted weft fabric is meant that class of fabric which is produced by feeding ordinary ground or knitting thread weft-wise across the needles of a knitting machine in succession, said term being utilized to differentiate the fabric in accordance with this invention from that known as knitted warp fabric produced on a warp knitting machine.

In attempts previously made to produce a shaped knitted weft fabric having ladderresisting qualitiesfit has been considered essential to employ a separate auxiliary looking thread for each needle in addition to the ordinary knitting or ground thread, said auxiliary thread being shogged' from one needle to another to produce the non-ladder effect.

In accordance with this invention, however, the locked or tied stitches of the shaped fabric are, as before-stated, composed of the ground or weft thread employed in the production of the knittedweb. v

A class of knitted article which can readily be produced in accordance with this invention is a wrought full-fashioned stocking or' sock which is wholly or in the main ladderproof or substantially so, and by the expression wrought full-fashioned stocking is 1 meant a stocking which is shaped during the knitting thereof, as differentiated from a stocking which is cut to the required shape knitted loops or tied stitches in said fabric at regular or predetermined intervals.

For the purpose of more fully describin the nature of this invention reference wi now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 illustrates a portion of suitable non-ladder selvedged fabric shaped or fashioned by narrowin and applicable for the production of a stoc ing or sock.

Figure 2 illustrates'a portion of similar knitted fabric fashioned by widening.

Figure 3 illustrates successive steps in the needle operation required to produce fabric having tied or locked stitc es on alternate knitted'courses as shown in igures 1 and 2. 4

Figure 4 shows in part-sectional elevation one side portion of a circular knitting machine suitable for knitting selvedged' and fashioned stocking blanks of non-ladder fabric by continuous rotary motion.

Figure 5 shows in part-sectional elevation another portion of the machine illustrated in Figure 4:.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of tomatically adjusting the cam device shown in Figures 6 and 7 at predetermined interyals so as tochange from unlocked to locked stitches and vice versa at will.

Figure '11 illustrates in part-sectional end elevation mtans for producing non-ladder fabric blanks on a flat bar knitting machine. Figure 12 is a front elevational view of the dual needle-operating cams and, displaceable cam truck shown in Figure 11.

Figure 13-illustrates in front elevation ice means for rendering each needle cam operative on alternate knitted courses.

Figure 14: is an enlarged view of the upper part of Figure 11.

Figure 15 is a plan view of a slur cock and means for automatically adjusting same at each knitted course so as to vary the length non-ladder fabric, tied or locked stitches are formed by tying or binding one needle loo upon another, this being advantageousl e fected by the employment of plural atch needles operating first to draw a loop of newly fed thread through a cleared loop and subsequently to pass said new loop closely around said cleared loop.

In Figures 1 and 2 sclvedged non-ladder fashioned fabric is illustrated composed of alternate courses of locked and unlocked stitches, i. e. tied and tying stitches, and in the production of such fabric double latch needles are employed and operated in the manner more clearly shown in Figure 3. In this figure the position indicated at A is that at which the needle has been raised to clear an old loop a below the top latch 1a and new thread I) is fed into the hook 10. the needle being then lowered to cast off the old loop a over the new loop I) which latter is retained in the hook, thus producing an ordinary knitted stitch. On the next upward motion of the needle same is brought to the position O at which the loop I) is cleared below the top latch 1a. A short downward motion is then imparted to the needle suificient to cause the loop 5 to pass beneath the top latch 1a and at the back of the bottom latch 16 as shown at position D. The needle then continues to rise to the position indicated atE which is higher than that indicated at A, and at this position the loop 6 has been cleared below the lower latch 16 (which latch has been lowered by the engagement therewith of said loop 6) and another thread 0 is fed between the two latches 1a, 16, while the needle is maintained raised.

On th next succeeding downward movement of the needle the loop 6 appertaining to the previously formed ordinary stitch passes upwardly along the needle, closes the lower latch 16 on to the upper latch 1a. and passes into the hook above said top latch 1a, the newly fed thread loop 0 being retained between the two latches. During this part of the motion the loop 0 is drawn through the loop I) as indicated at position F, and on the continued downward motion of the needle the loop a rises on the'needle, lifts and closes the top latch la on to the hook 10 and is cast off said needle, thus becoming tied upon the loop 5 and constituting a locked stitch as indicated at position G. This cycle of operations is then repeated.

The shaped blanks of non-ladder fabric can be produced on either a. circular or fiat bar knitting machine.

For example a circular knitting machine may be employed such as that described in the specification of prior Patent No. 1,690,- 729, which machine operates to produce fiat fashioned or shaped fabric with selvedged edges by imparting continuous rotary motion to the needle-operating means. On such a machine, which is illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, a plurality of independent selvedged blanks can be simultaneously produced by employment of two continuously and oppositely rotating needle cams 2 and 3 (see Figure 6) and by also employing two continuously and oppositely rotating sinker cams, said oppositely moving cams being arranged to pass one another at positions in the machine void of needles.

All of'the needles in the machine are operated by each of the stitch cams, which cams operate alternately, independent thread feeding means being provided for each fabric blank being produced, and each of said feeds (one of which is shown at 4 in Figure 4) being traversed first in one direction and then in an opposite direction, as described in the aforementioned specification, so as to cause successive courses to be knit in opposite directions.

. In order to produce on this type of machine alternate courses of locked or tied stitches cams 2 and 3 are differently designed, the cam 2 being of the customary formation applicable for producing ordinary or unlocked stitches. while the cam 3 is designed to raise the double latch needles 1 to a higher position than the cam 2 so as to cause the thread to be fed between the latches instead of into the needle hook and by so doing produce tied or locked stitches in the manner shown in Figure 3.

It will be appreciated that as the cams 2 and 3 operate on the needles in succession, alternate courses of locked or tied stitches are produced.

The width 'of the fabric. or each fabric portion being knitted, is varied during production. this being conveniently effected by simultaneously raising from an inoperative to an operative position a predetermined number of needles at predetermined intervals at each side of the group or groups of operative needles so as to widen the fabric to the required extent.

For this purpose a pair of lifting elements 5 may be provided (Figures 4 and 5) one of such elements being fixed to a circumferentially toothed ring 6 and the other to a second circumferentially toothed ring 7 B-GCOIIlr modated within an annular recess in the firstnamed ring 6. These two lifter rings 6, 7 are raised and lowered at predetermined inter- Vals by means of a plurality of suitably spaced rollers 8 which are normall accomarm 14, which arm l l carries a bevelled nose portion 15 adapted when the arm 14: is moved radially inwards to rotate the ring 16 on which the rollers 8 are mounted.

The lifting rings 6, 7 are provided with circumferential ratchet teeth continually engaged by a pair of clawker arms 18 and through the medium of these clawker arms 18 the lifter rings 6, 7 are rotated step by step in opposite directions to displace the lifting elements 5 to a position beneath successive needles for raisingsame.

The operation of the clawkers 18 for rotating the lifting rings may be effected intermittently from the aforesaid projecting elements 11 on the cam box 12 through the intermediary of mechanism similar to that employed for displacing the aforesaid lifting rollers 8. 4

Another type of circular machine which may be employed is that wherein flat selvedged fabric is produced by reciprocation of the needle operating means, and in such a machine a needle-operating cam device is conveniently employed which can be adjusted at predetermined intervals to produce either locked or unlocked stitches.

One such adjustable cam device applicable to a circular reciprocating machine is illustrated in Figures 7 to 10 of the accompanying drawings. The centre cam 19 up which the needles rise to clear their old loops and take fresh thread, is provided with a vertically displaceable peak portion 20 which when in the lowered position (as shown in Figure 7) causes the needles to rise to a height sufiicient to receive new thread in the needlehooks and produce ordinary or unlocked stitches. When, however, the peak I portion 2() is fully raised to the position shown in Figure 8, the, needles are raised to a position in which thread is fed between the two latches and locked or tied stitches are thus produced, it being understood that in the production of locked stitches the cam is travelling in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 8.

When producing the locked stitches the needles are caused to traverse a small auxili iary cam 21 during their upward movement to take thread, the purpose of said auxiliary cam being, as before-stated, to ensure that the old thread loops onthe needles take up a position between and at the rear of the needle latches so as to lower the bottom latch during the subsequent upward movement of the needles.

Adjusted simultaneously with the peak portion 20 of the cam 19 are two other cam elements 22, 23, which elements, when the peak portion 20 is in the lowered position, are moved downwards to the position indicated in Figure 7 so-as to causethe needle butts to traverse the path indicated in broken lines in said figure, whereas when the peak portion 20 is fully raised to produce locked stitches the two adjustable cam elements 22, 23 are raised to cause the needle butts to trav erse the small auxiliary cam along the path indicated in broken lines in Figure 8.

If now the peak portion-20 and other displaceable cam elements 22, 23 are adjustedon the'termination of each knitted course, it

will be appreciated that during the motion Figures 9 and 10. The displaceable peak portion 20 of the centre cam 19 together with the two movable cam elements 22, 23 may be mounted on a single vertically slidable block or frame 24:, the cam elements 20, 22, and 23 being secured to said block by pins 25 coacting with vertical slots 26 in the fixed portions of the cam device.

Travelling with the cam box within which the needle operating cam device is installed is a horizontally slidable member 27 having an upstanding cam rise 28, said memben 27 bearings 29 secured to the cam box. On the termination of the motion of the cam box in one direction the frictionally carried member 27 may coact with a relatively stationary stop or lug 30 and by so doing slidably displace the'member 27 to a position wherein a roller or truck 31 associated with the vertically displaceable cam block 24 moves downwardly from off the cam rise 28 on the member 27 either by gravity or "under the influence of springs 32, thus lowering the peak portion 20 and cam elements 22, 23 to a position forproducing ordinary stitches. At the termination of the movement of the cam box in an opposite direction the slidable member 27 is also displaced in an opposite direction being frictionally carried within suitable 4 a so by engagement with a stop member 33 and in so doing the cam .rise 28 is moved beneath the roller 31 so as to raise the block 24 and with same the cam elements 20, 22 and 23, the needle operating cams being then adjusted to produce locked or tied stitches.

If at any time it is required to continue producing successive courses of ordinary or unlocked stitches for any predetermined length of time, this can readily be accomplished by displacing the stop member 33 to a. position wherein same will not coact with a sliding member 27. One suitable method of accomplishing this is by slidably mounting the stop 33 and causing same to be pressed upwardly to an operative position by a rotary cam member 34 or equivalent device, a spring 35 functioning to lower the stop 33 to an inoperative position when same is out of engagementwith the cam rise on the member 34.

In manufacturing stockings in accordance with this invention on a flat bar knitting machine the non-ladder fabric can be produced by employing two differently designed cams for imparting different degrees. of motion to the needle bar and needles carried thereby, one cam functionin to raise the needles to a position to feed thread into the hooks thereof and the other to raise said needles to a position wherein thread is fed between the needle latches; means being employed for bringing either of said cams into operation as required;

Referring to Figures 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings two cams 36, 37 are fitted close together side by side on the customary cam shaft 38, the needle bar 39 being vertically reciprocated from said cams through the intermediary of a ivoted lever device 40 carrying a cam truck 41 which is maintained by spring or other means 42 in engagement with the cams. and is adapted to ride thereon.

One cam 37 is so designed that the part 37a of said cam with which the truck 41 engages during feeding of thread by the thread guide 4a for locked stitches is somewhat lower than the corresponding part 36a of the cam 36 with which said truck engages while thread is being fed for a course of ordinary stitches, and in this way the needles are moved to two different heights depending upon which of the cams 36, 37 is op rating upon the truck 41. I

To bring the cams 36, 37 into operation 7 alternately, thetruck 41 is slidably displaceable upon a short spindle 43 extending laterally of the cams and carried by the two arms 40a constituting the lower portion of the lever device 40. This slidable truck is isplaced at predetermined intervals from the one cam to the other through the medium of a pivoted fork 44, and it will be appreciated thatthe moving of the truck 41 from one cam to the other must be effected during a period in the motion of the machine when the peripheral faces of the two cams in the proximity of the truck are flush or level with each other. One such period occurs shortly after the thread feeding operation and while the needles are being lowered, therefore, it is advantageous that the means provided for moving the truck should operate during this period.

One method of displacing the cam truck 41 is illustrated in Figure 13, wherein at each end of the cam shaft 38 is fitted a gear wheel 45 meshing with another gear wheel 46 fitted on a lay shaft 47 which may or may not extend the full length of the machine. The wheels 46 are advantageously twice the size of the wheels 45 so that same are rotated at half the speed of the cam shaft 38 and cams 36 and 37, and on each of said wheels 46 is a cam rise 48 extending approximately half way round each wheel, said cam rise 48 being alternately engaged by trucks 49 on centrally pivoted levers 50 which levers are connected at their upper extremities to a longitudinally extending rod 51 to which the before-mentioned forked lever 44 is fixed. This arrangement is such that when the cams 36, 37 have been rotated to a position at which the needles are being lowered, that is to say, after the thread has been fed to said needles, a truck 49 appertaining to one of the levers 50 is caused to rise on to a cam rise 48 appertaining to one of the gear wheels 46 and simultaneously truck 49 appertaining to the lever 50 at the opposite end of the machine moves off its cam rise 48 and the rod 51 is longitudinally displaced so as to pivot the forked lever 44 and move the camtruck 41 from the one cam to the other.

In an alternative arrangement, instead of displacing the cam truck 41 from one cam to another, the cams 36, 37 may themselves be slidably displaced relatively to the cam truck upon the shaft 38 at the required times; while in another alternative arrangement the cam shaft 38 with cams 36, 37 fixed thereon may itself be moved axially so as to bring either of the cams into operation at predetermined intervals.

When a course of locked stitches is being produced it is advantageous that a somewhat greater length of thread be drawn or sunk by the customary sinkers 52 so as to ensure the production of an even fabric, and in order to accomplish this, the customary slur cock 53 operating through pivoted jacks 54 to d splace the sinkers 52 and draw the thread, is, on alternate motions of the machine, i. e. on alternate knitted courses, moved forward t a slightly greater extent.

This may be effected by providing at each end of the traverse of each slur cook 53 an adjustable stop 55 carried by an arm or bracket 56 fixed adjustably or otherwise to a longitudinally extending rod or bar 57 (see Figures 14 to 16). When the slur cock 53, which is traversed in the customary manner,

reaches one end of its movement one of the stops 55 coacts with an upstanding lug 58a on a wheel 58'mounted on a rearwardly extending screw-threaded portion 59 of the slur cock and transmits a small rotary movement to said wheel 58 so as slidably to displace the slur cock 53 forwardly or rearwardly in accordance with the direction or rotation of said Wheel 58, it being appreciated that at the opposite end of the traverse of the slur cock the second stop 55 functions to rotate the wheel 58 in an opposite direction and consequently displace the slur cock also in an opposite direction.

By this means the sinkers 52 operate on alternate knitted courses to draw more thread than on the remaining alternate courses.

When fashioning by narrowing on a flat bar machine it is advantageous to employ needles having hooks of a spring or resilient nature somewhat similar to that of a. bearded needle, the customary transfer points 60 being adapted to coact with and press said fleXible hooks and maintain same pressed during the transfer of a loop from the needle to the point, the action of the point on the flexible hook being clearly illustrated in Figure 17. Narrowing is illustrated at the positions marked N in Figure 1.

When fashioning on a flat bar machine by widening, all that is necessary is to feed thread to one or more additional needles at I either or both ends of selected courses so as to produce additional stitches thereon. In

Figure 2 positions at which additional needles are brought into operation are indicated at W.

It will be appreciated that wrought fullfashioned stockings can be produced as above described on circular machines without fashion marks appearing on the finished article, but in making stockings according to this invention on flat bar machines the usual fashion marks may be produced.

We claim 1. As anew article of manufacture ashaped knitted weft fabric such as a full-fashioned stocking or sock composed wholly or in the main of ladder proof or ladder-resisting knitted fabric which embodies locked or tied stitches composed of and produced from the common ground or weft thread of the fabric, such stitches consisting of thread loops expending through and also around other thread oops.

2. As a new article of manufacture a shaped 55 knitted weft fabric such as a full-fashioned stocking or sock composed wholly or in the. main of ladder-proof or laddenresisting fabric which comprises stitch loops locked or tied by other loops produced from the same weft thread as that forming the first-named loops, the legs or side portions of the tying stitches extending through and being twisted about corresponding legs or side portions of other stitches.

65 3. As a new article of manufacture a shaped knitted weft fabric such as a full-fashioned stocking or sock composed wholly or in the main of non-ladder fabric embodying at predetermined intervals locked or tied stitches each consisting of a thread loop extending through and also closely around another thread loop.

4. As a new article of manufacture a shaped knit-ted weft fabric, such as a wrought fullfashioned stocking 0r sock, composed wholly or in the main of non-ladder fabric which embodies locked or tied knitted stitches each formed by extending a loop through and twisting the legs or side portions thereof around the corresponding legs or side portions of an interengaging thread loop in the same stitch wale.

THOMAS HENRY JONES. ROBERT KIRKLAND MILLS. 

